Frank Lynn, new to the area, moved to Boardman with his wife, Mary Ruth, in July, ‘09.  A native New Englander, he retired in June from thirty years of public school (music) teaching in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  The move to Boardman is cause for celebration for Mary Ruth as she returns to her hometown where she has accepted the position of Executive Director at the Youngstown Playhouse.

In his many years with music education, Frank taught a wide variety of  music courses including: band (marching and concert), jazz ensemble, chorus, choral ensembles, general music, music theory, History of Rock, Humanities and Intro to Piano.  In his last fifteen years of teaching, Frank was a department of one in the tiny community of Milton, NH (pop. 4,500) at Nute Middle/High School.  From a high school environment of 200 students, grades 9-12, he developed an award-winning band program with both his Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble.

Over the years, he has worked extensively with church choirs in the Roman Catholic tradition as well as several Protestant denominations. Locally, he is the organist and choirmaster at St. James' Episcopal Church in Boardman.

In recent years, he has begun to focus on composing sacred music for organ and a cappella choir with an emphasis on short, accessible service pieces for the player and ensemble ... service-appropriate music for the developing keyboardist and small SATB choir. Some of his work is published by Darcey Music Press of Illinois and Adoro Music Publishing in Michigan. Adoro Music has several more of his organ and choir compositions under contract which will be released soon.

Retirement opens up the freedom to pursue personal interests and he has no problem keeping busy.  Between daily walks, bicycling, yard work, his church position, music, reading and compositional activities, days are full of activity.

The Stambaugh Chorus provides an opportunity to perform on the other side of the conductor's baton and Frank is delighted to work under the expertise of Dr. Lee.  Given his hectic and all-consuming musical lifestyle of the past thirty-plus years, Frank has not been able to sing in a choral ensemble and hasn't done so since his participation in the Provincetown (MA) Choral Society in the early 1970's.  He is fully enjoying his new-found association with the Chorus and is delighted to be singing once again.

He is becoming acclimated to the lifestyle differences New England to Ohio, although he misses the topography of New Hampshire, the fresh off-the-boat seafood always available everywhere and the mile after mile of unique New England coastline.

With two adult daughters living still in New England (Heather in New Hampshire and Justine in Maine) and siblings in nearby Massachusetts, there are many good reasons to return to that area as a visitor in the months and years ahead.